No Mega Quarry

Residents of Melancthon Township are breathing a sigh of relief as years of activism have paid off. Highland Companies has withdrawn its application for a license to mine aggregate from some of the most productive farmland in Ontario.

In 2006 Highland Companies, backed by a multi-billion dollar U.S.-based hedge fund, began buying up land in Melancthon Township, a community some 120 km north of Toronto. Highland told the community that their only goal was to grow potatoes, after buying out the community's two most productive potato farming operations.

Don't

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” These words, attributed to anthropologist Margaret Mead, capture the power that we, as citizens, have to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to protect the environment.

It just happened in Ontario, where Highland Companies announced it was withdrawing its plan to build a massive open-pit limestone quarry in the rural countryside north of Toronto. The controversial proposal to blast a billion tonnes of limestone from beneath some of the finest farmland in North America initially drew the ire of a handful of local farmers and residents who faced overwhelming odds to stop it.

Location

This summer’s big event to raise funds and awareness about a proposed mega quarry north of Orangeville will include a scenic panorama of the proposed quarry lands. One hilltop vista on the walk/bike/run route looks down over the entire proposed 2,316-acre limestone mega quarry area—now a postcard-perfect scene of rich Ontario farmland. What with high rolling hills, water everywhere and rich farmland, it’s one of the most beautiful vistas in Ontario.

“We’re putting up a picture frame so that when you stand in the spot indicated, you’ll see the rolling fields where these international financiers want to dig this massive pit,” says veteran race organizer Maria Burton. “This event is designed to give people a real appreciation for the land that most have only read about.”